Paddle in paradise
A kayaking holiday on Flinders Island is a perfect way to get close to this beautiful and rugged destination
Iam paddling tandem with kayaking guide Reg Grundy towards the base of towering granite Mount Killiecrankie in the north of Flinders Island. We’re just half an hour into my first day paddling with Roaring 40s Kayaking tour and already we’ve encountered a pod of feeding common dolphins. My eyes are locked on the wild landscape ahead. I’ve flown in by light aircraft from Bridport to the Bass Strait island, one of the Furneaux Group, to join a group on day two of a six-day expedition.
Reg, who owns the multi award-winning water-guiding business with his wife Jenny, and fellow guide Pip are leading seven guests from four Australian states as well as me.
The sun is out, the sky is blue and the water is calm as we paddle north across Killiecrankie Bay.
“Can you see Old Man’s Head?,” Reg calls, pointing to a boulder on the point where I make out cracks that create the sharp chin, flat nose and narrow eyes of face gazing out to the horizon.
At the northern end of the bay are two small beaches. We paddle through a sandstone arch to the shorter of the two, pulling ashore for a break. Reg dishes out kayaking tips, jokes, banter and praise while Pip, who spends the Tasmanian low season guiding off the west coast of Canada, offers around muesli bars.
I wander up a trail on to a headland to join a few other guests in taking in the bay and its emerald water that fades into a deep blue.
As we leave the shelter of the bay, continuing our journey around the headland, we are exposed to surging water and Reg confidently guides us between rocks.
As we pass a towering cliff face, Pip points out a rugged shelter in the bush made by rock climbers on multi-day missions.
Orange granite boulders breach the water forming a series of miniature islands just off the a long, white beach.
We land and Pip swims out to one and jumps off.
“She can’t resist,” Reg says.
Others are quick to follow into the water. Lunch is quiche, salads, gourmet sandwiches and coffee.
Heading back to camp, we have fun paddling through larger surges of water. Reg and I paddle hard to catch a small wave before we again cross paths with the same pod of dolphins still feeding in Killiecrankie Bay. On the drive back to the shacks at Sawyers Bay where we are staying, we know we’ve earned tonight’s dinner and sleep.
After rinsing our gear and ourselves, we unwind – some in beanbags on the deck with a book and a view of the ocean and Mount Strzelecki, some at the beach and some in their rooms. I have an outdoor shower then take up a pen and obligatory can of Boags.
Soon the wine comes out and I’m joined on the deck by most of the group, all while poor Reg and Pip prepare our dinner of pasta, salad and garlic bread, with cheesecake to finish. Special dietary requirements are factored in.
After dinner, Reg pulls out a map and we recap the day before he runs through tomorrow’s plan, when strong northerly winds are expected. We brush up on suitable paddling techniques for the predicted conditions.
Worn out, I toddle off to bed by 8.30pm.
The next morning we arrive at our launch spot at the western end of Petrifaction Bay in Franklin Sound and unload the kayaks from the trailer.
Today’s 14km trip is one-way, so Reg takes off in the van to our destination at the other end of the bay, ditches it and races back to us on his pushbike.
I’m partnering up and paddling with Pip today and when Reg reaches us, we launch off the beach and set course across the shallow water towards Little Dog Island.
Flinders and its surrounding islands have a dark history when it comes to the treatment of the traditional owners of the land by European colonists. Every year, the Roaring 40’s team works with an Aboriginal educator, who teaches them more about the history and the culture of these islands.
We paddle around the south of Little Dog Island and watch juvenile Pacific gulls watching us.
A flock of black-faced cormorants cover a White Rock sticking out from glassy water on our right and one by one they take off low across the surface as we float by.
Jagged mountains on Cape Barren Island peek through low grey clouds in the distance.
We come ashore for a break, some have a quick swim and we continue along the southern coast of Little Dog Island.
As we pass its eastern edge and begin our crossing to Great Dog Island, we lose our shelter from the northerly wind and the chop begins to build. After half an hour of hard paddling against the wind and current, we find shelter again at Great Dog and give our arms a rest.
The island is home to thousands of mutton birds or shorttailed shearwaters.
Reg explains that in a month’s time, the island will be a hive of human activity with members of the local Aboriginal community taking up residency in mutton-birding huts.
As we round a point and head towards a long beach with a hut a one end, the grey shapes of stingrays glide silently beneath us.
We explore the beach, swim and rest while Reg and Pip prepare lunch. After we eat and rest, we paddle a couple of kilometres around to the north of the island until we reach another exposed stretch of water, which we must cross to reach Little Green Island.
We will again have to paddle hard for at least half an hour. We aim the noses of our boats a few degrees west of the point we want to reach to account for the current and wind. There’s a cheer and a communal sense of accomplishment when we make it across.
Back at the shack, everyone seems energised, despite the day being longer and harder than yesterday.
The shack is a technology-free zone. We entertain ourselves with trivia. Reg is talked into delving deeper into how tides and tidal currents work and he does so using us as in his interactive demonstration.
I play the role of the sun because of my wind and sunburnt face.
Reg explains how the relative positions of the moon and sun affect gravity and how that affects tides, and how the rotation of the earth contributes to currents.
We laugh and learn.
Dinner is freshly caught flathead delivered by a local fisherman, accompanied by the Tasmanian wine.
The next morning, we wake to the smell of pancakes. I top mine with butter, maple syrup and fruit salad and am easily convinced to get seconds and then thirds.
I’m leaving the tour today, which is sad, but maybe good timing. There’s a ferocious storm blowing in from the west, and it will be too dangerous for kayaking so the rest of the group will be trekking into Mount Strzelecki National Park.
I say my goodbyes to all and head for the airstrip to catch a ride back to the mainland on Flinders Island Aviation’s Cessna 172XP.
Two weeks later I hear Reg’s company has once again taken out gold awards for Adventure tourism and Eco-tourism at the Australian Tourism Awards in Canberra.
They will look good next to their half-dozen Tasmanian Tourism Awards and induction into the Tasmanian Tourism Hall of Fame. I’m not at all surprised at the haul of awards.
What I experienced was a feeling of true adventure. It was challenging and rewarding, it was real and honest, and it was culturally and environmentally sensitive.
It’s nature tourism at its best.
BOOKINGS: Roaring 40s Kayaking will run six week-long trips in 2021 departing weekly from February 21.
Guests can book their place now from $2550 per person plus flights to the island.
Meals and accommodation are included.
GETTING THERE: Groups can charter a flight from Bridport to Flinders Island for $825 for up to seven people each way. Flights can be organised by the company, or booked independently by those wishing to spend some extra time exploring the island.
RESTRICTIONS TO NOTE: Interstate travellers may be required to quarantine when entering Tasmania, depending on the COVID-19 restrictions in place at the time.
The author was a guest of Roaring 40s Kayaking tours